


Senescence

by DreamingIce



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: AU, Aging, F/M, Gen, God!Percy, Immortality, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-23
Updated: 2014-10-23
Packaged: 2018-02-22 07:05:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2498990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamingIce/pseuds/DreamingIce
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Change is inevitable. Doesn't make it hurt anyless. Especially when everything is changing except you." God!Percy AU. Watching Annabeth live a mortal life is harder than he could have imagined. Implied Percabeth hints. </p><p>Post TLO AU (disregards Heroes of Olympus)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Losing Grip

**Author's Note:**

> Reposting from FF.N.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~6 months after the Battle of Manhattan

They tried to maintain a semblance of a friendship after the Battle of Manhattan, despite Percy's new status as a minor God.

Annabeth found her time becoming increasingly crowded. There was the rebuilding of Mount Olympus to oversee, new cabins to design, and family and school commitments as well. For Percy, he was struggling his way through learning the ropes as Poseidon's new lieutenant—which included constant dealings with a half-brother and stepmother that ranged from barely tolerant to outright hostile—as well as helping rebuild his father's underwater palace. He'd barely had a chance to see even his mother, let alone Annabeth.

Percy had managed to make it to his mother's for Christmas, and was delighted to hear Annabeth would be there for lunch before meeting the rest of her family.

The conversation between the pair revolved mainly around the rebuilding efforts, and Percy was happy to listen to Annabeth's enraptured descriptions of the new cabins she was designing at camp—he'd listened to her in-depth interpretations on the architecture of various buildings enough times to know what to expect, and the right places to smile and nod. After that conversation dried up though, an unexpected awkwardness crept in.

Noticing the lull in conversation, Sally thought it as good a time as any to announce that she and Paul were expecting a baby. And while Percy grinned at his mortal parents after digesting the news, congratulating them, his withdrawal from the conversation didn't go unnoticed by Sally and Paul. If Annabeth noticed, she gave no outward sign as she squealed her congratulations.

Sure, he was happy for his mother, and for Paul who he got on well with, but he couldn't shake the sense of loss.

But he'd plastered a smile on his face for his mother, joined Annabeth's excited congratulations and pretended to enjoy the brief time with his family. It was easier to feast on his mother's blue choc-chip cookies while listening to familiar Christmas carols than explore  _why_  he felt so... left out of the life he no longer was a part of.

Soon enough, Annabeth had to leave to meet with her family, and Percy was expectedly relieved at her departure.

He'd continued to chat with Sally and Paul, the conversation ranging from Paul's school and Sally's first book—due to be published in another month—to Percy's new duties before meandering back around to the new baby.

Percy wasn't sure  _what_  to say. He suspected that they thought he felt replaced somehow, but this wasn't the case. Convincing them of that, however, was easier said than done. He was going to have a younger sibling. He'd always looked at friends with siblings with a little jealousy as a small child, aware that they had something he was missing. Now his wish was coming true, and he wouldn't even be around.

He just couldn't shake the feeling of being left behind. Of course, technically, he was the one who had left them behind, along with the rest of his mortal life. He knew that. It just felt like the other way at present.


	2. How to Lose Friends and Alienate People

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 5 years after the Battle of Manhattan

The party that had been organised for Annabeth's 21st was well and truly in the swing of things when Percy arrived out of nowhere.

Annabeth, who had already consumed a large amount of alcohol—including some dubious tequila shots Rachel had talked her into—was the first to spot him.

If Percy had expected a warm welcome, he was sorely mistaken.

"Perseus Jackson, why the fuck are you here!" She yelled at him, barely making herself heard above the pounding music of bar. "Four years, and not even a 'Hey, how you going?' How hard is it to send an IM? Or anything. Guess the almighty 'Lord Perseus' can't lower himself down to demigod level again?" she flounced off towards the bar with the intention of making Rachel down some more tequila shots with her.

Percy looked around the group of people, recognising a number from camp, plus a few mortals that probably went to college with Annabeth. He heard one of the mortal girls ask who he was, her blue eyes clearly appraising him. Katie Gardener supplied a muttered answer of ex-boyfriend. Not exactly the truth, but enough to satisfy the girl, who turned away reluctantly.

Some of the other demigods present looked vaguely amused at her outburst, and Connor Stoll approached Percy with a conspiratory grin.

"These women, if you can't talk to them whenever they want, they assume all sorts."

Percy just blinked, and smiled ruefully.

"How's things going for you, man?" Connor continued

Percy unstuck his throat, "Pretty good I suppose. No major dramas, but don't exactly get much time out and about. Amphitrite doesn't look like she wants to strangle me as much. Baby steps."

Nico, who'd been eavesdropping, snorted.

Connor sighed. "I thought you were done, Nico," he inquired of the younger boy. "If you cause another scene by getting caught, Annabeth will gut you".

"You've been shadow travelling your way in?" Percy asked.

Nico nodded while Travis—who appeared with a tray of beer bottles in his hands—elaborated.

"He tried to use a fake ID first, then shadow travelled when he was caught. Then he got thrown out. So he's just been shadow travelling the rest of the night," Travis explained as the others snagged a bottle.

"I don't think Annabeth would notice, at this point," Nico drawled, pointing to the front bar, where Annabeth, Rachel, Clarisse, Katie and the girl who'd eyed Percy off were chugging shot after shot, swaying quite significantly after slamming the glasses on to the counter

"Hmmm," Travis murmured. "I believe it's time for me to go prevent my girlfriend from tripping over herself," and he headed off, just preventing Katie toppling over as she attempted to step to her left. Chris Rodriguez was already propping up Clarisse, and the mortal girl had captured the attention of another guy while Rachel remained amazingly upright. Percy was itching to go and steady Annabeth, and was about to follow Travis when a mortal guy reached out to steady Annabeth's waist.

The sloppy smile that Annabeth bestowed upon him made him stop short. The familiarity of his touch and the way she relaxed into him made Percy's stomach drop.

Percy didn't stay much longer after that. Giving Connor and Nico a brief farewell, he headed back into the night.


	3. Taste of What You Paid For

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 7 years after the Battle of Manhattan

It was another couple of years before Percy crossed paths with Annabeth, this time accidentally. He was in Olympus on an errand for his father, hoping to say a quick hi to his mother and sister while in the neighbourhood as well. Annabeth was meeting with some of the other minor gods to finalise designs for new cabins at the camp.

Percy swore he could see a familiar blonde ponytail ahead of him, and called out, praying that it was indeed who he thought it was, "Annabeth?"

The blonde girl—no, woman—turned around, grey eyes appraising him with a cool glint.

He jogged to catch up with her. Turning a charming smile on for her, he tried to initiate a conversation.

"Hi," he said cheerfully.

Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"'Hi'? that's the best you can open with, Percy?" Annabeth asked, though a glimmer of humour thawed the ice in her eyes.

Percy shrugged. "How you been, Wise Girl?"

Annabeth sighed. "Busy. Same old stuff. Camp. Trying to finish my Masters degree,"

"Masters?"

"Yes. Hopefully, I can finish it over the next year," she replied.

"Right. What about camp? You still leading? Or just permanent architect?" Percy tried to head off the awkward silence that was threatening to appear.

Annabeth smiled slightly. "I'm still leading. Camp's as crazy as ever. Kinda hoping that the Ares campers and Apollo campers don't start cursing each other again this summer."

Percy snorted, remembering the rhyming curses Apollo campers had laid on Ares kids during his last summer as a demigod, "Again?"

"Mmmhmm," Annabeth hummed. "Seems to happen every couple of years now."

The inevitable silence fell.

"I saw you at your twenty-first," Percy said quietly.

Annabeth blinked. "I don't know what time you saw me, Seaweed Brain, but I got pretty wasted that night. Care to narrow it down for me?"

Percy shrugged. "Dunno what time it was. You and some of the girls were doing shots when I left. You yelled at me when I tried to say hello."

She winced a little, "Sorry," she sighed. "I don't even remember it. Probably yelled because I hadn't heard anything from you for so long."

"That was the gist of it, yes," Percy said.

More silence.

Annabeth was the one who broached the silence this time.

"Have you seen your mother recently?"

It was Percy's turn to sigh. "Don't exactly get lots of free time. I was going to pop in today, seeing as I'm so close."

"Good," was all she said.

Percy looked at her. "You've kept in contact, then?"

Annabeth nodded. "I have. Daniel and I saw her, Paul and Katie last week."

"Right," he said, then paused. "Daniel?"

Annabeth shifted uncomfortably. "Yes, Daniel, my boyfriend."

"Oh," Percy said quietly.

"He's an archaeology student. Didn't even scare him off when I told him about all of this," her hands waived around to indicate the grand structures of Mount Olympus.

Percy's eyebrows rose. "You told him?" he queried.

Annabeth huffed in annoyance. "Kinda had to explain after a Hellhound tried to do me in during a date. And it made it far easier to explain where I went during the summer."

"And he didn't freak?"

"Rachel helped with the explanations," was all the elaboration Annabeth provided.

"Suppose that would have helped," Percy mumbled.

Annabeth made a vague sound of agreement.

Annabeth looked at her watch. "Look, I have to go," she paused "don't suppose you can promise when I'll see you next, can you?" she looked at him, and Percy could see a mix of sadness and bitterness in her face.

"No, I can't," he answered quietly.

Annabeth nodded. "Just..." she looked away, "try and say hello once in a while, will you? And say hi to Sally, Paul and Katie," she said with a brief smile before heading back the way she'd been heading before.

Percy just stood there for a while, processing the exchange.

Very early on into his godhood, he'd wondered if he'd made the wrong choice. If the story of Eurytion the cowherd was a warning that he'd been too oblivious to notice.

These days, he  _knew_  he'd made the wrong choice, he thought quietly, watching as Annabeth's ponytail finally disappeared in the crowds.


	4. Few Still Stand Tall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 10 years after the Battle of Manhattan

Percy avoided conversations with her after that.

He'd sent her a couple letters, leaving them with his mother to pass on, but not a face to face conversation. His mother, he knew, wanted them to actually converse, but Percy refused to talk about Annabeth when she was brought up in conversation.

He recognised that the gap between them was simply widening, and while he was still brash, reckless and unpredictable at times, he knew constant contact would drive both of them mad.

It was the past. And it was only a memory now.

But he could stop himself from watching her sometimes. He felt vaguely guilty, like he was stalking her. He mentally shrugged it off. As long as Athena didn't catch him, did it matter?

He saw her graduate with her Masters in Architectural Design. Annabeth thought she spotted a familiar set of green eyes, but when she tried to focus on that spot, there was no-one there.

Sally Blofis later told Percy of Annabeth's engagement. He didn't tell her he already knew.

Annabeth's wedding day was hard to watch. Not only emotionally, but because Athena was there, and Percy wasn't really up to an interrogation by the formidable Goddess.

However, Athena's presence did have it's benefits. With the numerous demigods present at the gathering, it would often scream 'banquet' to any local monsters, but Annabeth's mother had assured her daughter that no monsters would be able to interrupt the ceremony.

Percy tried couldn't entirely get rid of the sprig of jealousy towards the groom, clearly the same man who he'd seen steady Annabeth at her twenty-first. However, Daniel made it hard for Percy to hate him by the awestruck look on the man's face as Annabeth approached him, her bright smile make her grey eyes sparkle.

There was no doubt that this guy adored Annabeth, and for that, Percy was glad. She deserved someone that treated her like a queen.

Unfortunately, it didn't stop it hurting.

Also, Percy's hopes of going unnoticed by Athena were in vain. She'd caught him soon after the ceremony.

"I was wondering if you were going to show up, Perseus," she stated from her position a few feet away, concealed behind an artful array of flowers.

Percy didn't need a mirror to know he look like the proverbial deer in the headlights.

He'd never known where he stood with this particular goddess. She and Poseidon rarely agreed on anything, and were quite open of their dislike of each other. As a demigod, Athena had voted for his destruction, and warned him against his friendship with Annabeth. Since being granted godhood, however, he had had little to do with the goddess herself.

She moved closer, scrutinising closely. "Why are you here, son of Poseidon?" Her grey eyes were watching his face closely.

"Because I was her friend once, Lady Athena," he answered quietly.

She seemed to accept that answer, but she continued to evaluate him with her cool gaze.

"You had her confused for a long time, you know," she informed him. Percy gave into the urge to look away from her. "And I believe she had a similar effect on you," she continued, "I told you both that your friendship was not wise, for either of you. Maybe I should have informed you of this earlier."

Percy knew there was a tide of red creeping up his cheeks.

"I wouldn't have stopped being her friend, Lady Athena," he answered, daring to look back at her.

Athena looked at him for a moment before replying, "I know. Personal loyalty is still your fatal flaw, Perseus."

Getting to Annabeth proved difficult. On the other hand, Grover had given him an incredibly enthusiastic greeting, and he'd enjoyed a few moments with his mother—who'd given him a knowing look—and his little sister, Katie. Paul hadn't been able to make it due to his sister being sick, so it had just been Sally and Katie representing the Blofis family. Various demigods Percy remembered called greetings, though Clarisse looked she wanted to accompany the greeting with a punch. He even had a quick chat to Professor Chase.

Finally, he managed to get to the bride and groom.

"Percy!" Annabeth cried out in surprise. "I... I didn't think you'd be here..." Her new husband looked from Percy to Annabeth and back to Percy, realisation dawning on his face.

"Well," Percy started, "What sort of friend would I be if I didn't wish you the best on your wedding day, Wise Girl?"

Annabeth grinned.

From her side, Daniel piped up. "So, this is the famous Percy Jackson I've heard stories about?" he held out his hand to Percy. Percy shook his hand, a wry grin on his face.

"Hopefully not too many bad things, then. And if you've heard ones from my mother, she's a tad biased," Percy replied.

"I however, am not,  _Seaweed Brain_." Annabeth interjected.

Percy let a true smile cross his face at that. "Been a while since I've heard that," he told her.

Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Anyways, I brought you something. It's had Tyson's input as well, he sends his best, by the way," Percy started, pulling out a package. "Congratulations," he said, handing them the wrapped package.

Annabeth eagerly tore open the wrapping. Inside was a beautifully crafted vase. The celestial bronze panels shined, and various scenes were engraved on each of the six panels. Annabeth could see that the engraving included her time at camp, some with Percy, some without. The final scene, she saw, was her and Daniel, standing next to each other grinning.

She looked up at Percy, her eyes watery. "Thanks, Percy, she said quietly. She gave a watery smile, "and thank Tyson for the engraving."

Percy smiled. "Don't worry about what others see on it, either. Only you two and other demigods should be able to see anything other than engravings from Greek history."

Daniel and Annabeth both laughed.

Percy went to head off, but Annabeth's hand on his arm made him turn around again.

"Wait! What else has Tyson build into that vase?" Annabeth asked.

"Where's the fun in telling you?" Percy retorted lightly.

Annabeth shook her head in mock frustration before hugging him. Percy hesitantly returned the hug.

"Take care of yourself, Annabeth," he whispered to her. "And good luck," he smiled at her as she released him from the embrace.

Then he returned to the solitude of his living space in his the underwater palace, wishing he hadn't been so rash ten years ago.


	5. Through the Mist I See a Face

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 14 years after the Battle of Manhattan

Meagan Thalia Jones, Annabeth's first child, entered the world the eve of her mother's thirtieth birthday.

Daniel and Annabeth had moved to Baltimore some years earlier—Annabeth working with an architectural firm, and her husband lecturing at the one of the nearby colleges. Close enough to New York that visiting friends remaining in the metropolis wasn't an impossible task, and slightly easier for the rest of Annabeth's mortal family to visit after their move back to Virginia.

At the moment, of course, everyone was visiting them. Or rather, taking full advantage of the opportunity to fawn over little Meg. Athena of course. Old camp buddies of Annabeth. Both their families. College buddies. Sally and Paul. Chiron even broke out the wheelchair to come and congratulate them.

Percy watched on, unsure if actually visiting was a good idea.

"You still watching Athena's girl?" a voice casually questioned, making Percy whip his head around.

Apollo was lounging against the wall, watching Percy's face go pink as he attempted to deny it.

"Lesson to the wise, young cousin. Watching mortals from Olympus? Not as private as you might like to think," Apollo grinned. "It'd be a pity if Athena thought you were being inappropriate, after all."

Percy muttered an agreement.

Apollo watched him for a moment before continuing. "It's not easy, is it?"

"What isn't?" Percy asked, trying to keep the mulish tone out of his voice.

"Seeing it all move on without you," he replied simply.

All he got was a questioning stare in response. Apollo gave a wan smile. "It was a loooong time ago, yes. But I do remember the disconcerting feeling of what I'd known disappearing while I stayed the same."

Percy looked away before answering, "When does it go away?"

The elder god raised an eyebrow. "Not overnight. Besides, you have more left behind there than I ever did," he pointed out.

Silence fell between the two.

Apollo, however, decided that silence was not to his suiting.

"So, you going to see her or not?"

Percy sighed.

* * *

He wasn't the only immortal there when he appeared on the Baltimore street. In fact, his sudden appearance was welcomed with a notched archery bow in his face.

Thalia Grace quickly lowered her bow after recognising the face. "Percy, Hi," she said.

Percy looked from the bow to her still teenage-looking face. "Nice way to say hello, Thalia," he commented wryly.

Thalia just shrugged. "I'm a hunter. Something appears out of nowhere, I get suspicious. Deal with it."

Percy brushed the comments aside. "So, I'm assuming you're seeing Annabeth, or is there some monster in the area?"

"Annabeth," Thalia responded. "Hey, she gave the kid my name as a middle name. I can't pretend I don't want see the kid."

Any further discussion was halted by Annabeth opening the door of house. Apparently she'd seen their sudden appearance from one of the windows, she informed them as she ushered them inside, hugging both of them as they crossed the threshold.

Motherhood seemed to agree with her. Even with the tell-tale bags under her eyes, she looked as happy as Percy could ever recall.

Meg, apparently, had decided to wake only moments before their arrival. Now two months old, she gurgled happily as the girl she shared a name with made silly faces at her.

Percy watched Annabeth smile as she watched her daughter. The two of them struck up a brief conversation before Thalia joined them, Annabeth wanting to know if there was any local monster activity that had drawn Thalia here in the first place. Thalia had quickly allayed that particular worry, assuring her that she wanted to see her namesake.

Annabeth had blushed a little at that. "I hope you don't mind," she said, hands twisting with nervousness.

Thalia had just laughed, "Mind? Annabeth, I'm honoured. Really. Though I am glad you gave her a nice, normal first name, then the Greek middle name, not the other way around."

Meg, resenting the lack of attention, made a sharp cry. Annabeth moved to pick her up once more, but Percy indicated he'd like to hold her. Nodding her consent, Annabeth handed her daughter over to him. Thankfully, Percy remembered enough from the short visits he'd made to his mortal parents when Katie was born to hold her without having the girl start bawling. Or any other embarrassing reaction.

Studying the girl, Percy could see Annabeth in the child's face. Her eyes may have been an indeterminate colour for the time being, but he could still see the girl's mother in her nose, and her chin.

He tickled the child's stomach lightly, and was rewarded by a happy squeal before Annabeth took her back.

Neither Thalia or Percy stayed long. It was clear that Annabeth was still in need of as much sleep as she could get, and Meg had started to get cranky, clearly wanting her dinner.

The pair of immortals walked together in silence after leaving the quiet little suburban house.

"She seems happy," Thalia murmured. "Happier than I can remember seeing her."

"Yeah," Percy muttered.

Thalia's face took on a rare tender look. "She's going to be a great mother," she said quietly.

"Yes, she will," Percy responded before peering at Thalia. "Not regretting the whole 'eternal maiden' thing all of a sudden, are we?"

Her face closed off and she shot him a dark look. "Uh, no," she stated. "Why, are  _you_  regretting the whole immortality thing, now?" She stared at him, turning his words back on him.

The girl's electric stare made Percy look away.

Her eyebrows rose in realisation. "Oh, for Gods sake, Jackson. Tell me you don't still fancy her," Thalia all but snarled. "She's finally happy. Don't you dare interfere with that!"

Percy quickly went on the defensive. "Back off, Thalia, what does a Huntress know of any of this," he shot back before choosing that moment to make his exit into a cloud of mist.

Thalia's expression was mutinous as she began her trek back to the rest of the hunting group.

"Coward," she muttered to the empty street, her hand gripping her silver bow tightly. "You idiotic, rash, _coward_."


	6. Try and Be Still

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 18 years after the Battle of Manhattan

Percy was ready to fall in a heap before he realised that it was Katie's graduation today. His mortal family may accept the long absences, but it had better be another full blown war before he missed this.

Groaning, he cleaned himself up. He'd had to deal with a group of telekhines that had attempted to infiltrate the forges, and they hadn't exactly gone down easily. Even with Tyson weighing in.

Manipulating the mist to mask his arrival, he quickly searched for his mothers greying curls in the crowd.

Sally, however, found him first.

"Percy!" He heard his mother's exasperated voice coming from behind him. "I was wondering if you'd forgotten."

Percy turned towards her as she approached, greeting her with a hug. "Hadn't forgotten," he assured her. "Just got caught up." He winced as Sally brushes over a bruise on his shoulder. "Telekhines get a tad testy when challenged," he added in response to his mother's unspoken query.

Sally just sighed.

"Hey Paul," Percy greeted Paul as he caught up to the pair.

"Percy," Paul grinned, gripping his stepson's hand tightly in greeting.

The trio started moving towards the hall, taking their seats among the chatter of the other families. Percy was aware of the questioning looks from other families.

Eventually, one of the nearby women leaned over her seat, greeting Sally enthusiastically. "Sally! How are you! Hard to believe this day's here, isn't it?" the woman blurted out, eyes darting to Percy throughout her one-sided conversation. Paul managed to hide a snicker behind a cough as Sally sighed. "Yes, Evie, it's a tad daunting..." Sally's tone was wistful as she eyed the stage for a moment. She jolted herself from her reverie, realising the younger woman was still waiting for an explanation of Percy's presence. "Evie, this is my son, Percy," she motioned to Percy. "Percy, Evie. Her daughter's one of Katie's classmates."

Percy gave the woman a breezy smile, "Hi," was his short response to Sally's gentle elbow in his side.

Evie's eyebrows rose slightly. "I hadn't realised your son was so much older, Sally," the woman said, clearly thrown by the lack of familial resemblance between the two, as well as the age difference.

Sally just shrugged. "You never asked," she replied, turning towards the stage, where the school's headmaster was now preparing to address the gathered families.

Katie was ecstatic to have her idolised big brother there. Well, that was if the ear-piercing squeal of delight was any indication before running to greet Percy with a tackle-hug.

"Hey there, Katie-Bear," Percy grinned as the curly-haired seventeen-year-old continued to squeeze him. "Even I've gotta breathe, you know."

"I didn't know if you'd make it," she said quietly.

"You know what Mom's like when she's disappointed, I'd never be able to show my face again!" Percy responded jokingly, eliciting a giggle from the teenager. "Nah, I wouldn't miss this, Katie," he reassured her.

"Good," she replied, the smile so reminiscent of Paul broke out on her face. "Cause I don't know how I'd ever forgive you!" she added teasingly.

"Brat," Percy tugged at her curls playfully.

Katie then launched herself into the arms of Sally and Paul.

"Reckon I did good?" she asked, a brilliant smile lighting her face. Paul matched it with the same smile and Sally laughed happily. "Definitely, sweetie."

Percy looked at the three of them, "Besides, you can now officially say you are the more educated sibling," he commented wryly. Katie grinned in response.

"You coming back to celebrate at the apartment?" Paul asked him as the four of them started towards the exit.

"Sure. I've got the rest of the day," Percy replied. "Besides, how often do I get to see my baby sister graduate high school?"

Dark muttering could be heard behind them in response. "I'm not a baby," Katie groused. "I'm seventeen".

"And I'm thirty-three going on immortal. Pretty sure that is always going to make you my baby sister."

More muttering, and Percy was sure Katie was sticking her tongue out at him.

Dinner was enjoyable enough, although dodging questions from Paul's extended family had Percy somewhat on edge. He usually managed to steer the conversation back to Katie and her plans for the future.

Katie had decided to branch out from her writer mother and English teacher mother, instead opting for the sciences when she started college in the following fall. Her plan was to go from her Pre-Veterinary degree into Cornell University—one of the country's leading veterinary schools. Percy was truly excited for her. But also a little envious. He'd never really got to plan what he would have done with his mortal life. Marine Biology? Surfing? Or something completely different? And the college lifestyle... He was kinda sorry he missed out on that.

Although, he still had the chance to party like a college student, technically speaking. Certainly, Apollo had been doing that for the past millennia.

Slowly, though, the get together started to wind down, eventually leaving the four of them to a slightly dishevelled apartment.

Percy gave his mother another hug, and shook Paul's hand as he started to make his own farewells.

Katie, her energy from earlier now starting to wane, attached herself to her brother like a limpet.

"Hey," Percy said softly. "I thought you'd grown out of the limpet hugs?"

Katie buried her head into his chest, "Don't want you to go," she said, her voice muffled.

"Katie," he sighed. "You know I have to. I'll be checking up on you though," he tightened his grip on her briefly before relaxing again.

"Promise?"

"Promise. So keep the wild parties to a minimum, hmm?" Percy elicited a weak giggle out of her, and she eventually loosened her grip on him.

With a wan smile, Percy left, the salty tang of the ocean lingering behind him.


	7. Found Myself in This Peculiar Place

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 24 years after the Battle of Manhattan

Meg Jones was ten years old when she had her first true brush with her mother's world. She and her little brother, six-year-old Sam, had been exploring the rock pools at the beach while her parents were getting lunch when she spotted it. At first glance, it was a young woman, but the closer Meg looked, the less pretty the woman became. She swore that the woman's legs looked... well, a lot like the donkey she'd seen at the petting zoo last month. And the other leg looked like metal. Like the bronze vase her parents kept on the mantelpiece.

It wasn't the first time Meg had seen unusual creatures—flying horses, creatures she'd dubbed 'fish ponies', but nothing like this. Her mom had tried explaining why she saw these things, but she'd got lost with the explanation of mists and mortals.

But either way, she knew instinctively this creature was far more dangerous than anything she'd seen before.

"You see anything unusual, Meg, You come find me. Immediately!" she can hear her Mom's voice in her head. It was the one point that Meg had been able to grasp out of the confusing story of Greek myths, demigods, monsters and mist.

Looking back towards the beach, she was dismayed to realise that they'd wandered further than they were supposed to, and there didn't seem to be anyone else nearby. The creature was definitely watching them, slowly making her way towards them, though it didn't seem aware of Meg's scrutiny.

Sam, who'd been too interested in the contents of the rock pool to notice his sister's change of mood, popped back into Meg's vision, brandishing a slimy pile of goop in her face. "Look, Meg!" he exclaimed.

Meg's nose wrinkled as the pungent odour hit her nose. "Look at what?" she replied.

"It's a jellyfish! See!" the blonde-haired boy grinned, clearly proud of himself.

"Put it down!" Meg scolded him. "You don't go around touching jellyfish! What if it had stung you?" she continued.

"The boy's just curious," the she-creature could move fast, apparently. She was standing no more than a couple of feet away from the siblings now, a sickly smile on her face.

Meg backed away slightly, grabbing Sam's arm. "Who are you?" she asked warily.

"My name's Amber," her saccharine smile still in place. It cracked, however when she noticed Sam staring at her legs.

"So, I found some mortals that have the Sight," she hissed. She sniffed, then stared intently at the children. "Or is it godlings? You don't smell like normal mortals," she mused.

Meg and Sam were still backing up as the she-creature talked. All of a sudden, there was a man behind them. Meg jumped in fright, thinking it was another creature. He was dark haired, with green eyes in a face that seemed vaguely familiar.

Amber froze at the appearance the man, her face twisting into a snarl and revealing fang like teeth.

"Be gone, Empusa," the man said.

"Why should these two matter to you?" The creature snarled. The man didn't answer, but the ocean nearby seemed to surge around the creature, suddenly ripping her back towards the sea. Meg saw a look of fury on the creature's face before it disappeared with a flash.

The man crouched down, looking at the stunned siblings. "How about we get you back to your parents, hmm?" He started off towards the sand dunes. Meg and Sam stared for a moment before hurrying to catch up with the man.

"Who are you?" Meg asked curiously. "And what was that... thing?"

"I'm Percy," he replied. "And that was an Empousai, a servant of Hectate."

"Hectate?" Meg questioned, feeling confused.

Percy gave a wry grin. "Ask your mother to explain, she'd be far better at it than me."

Meg stared at him a while, getting a sense of familiarity from this strange man.

"Wait, you're Katie Blofis' brother! I've seen pictures of you!" Meg exclaimed. "Why are you here, though?" she seemed puzzled.

Percy laughed. "It's not often I get identified as Katie's brother, I'll admit, but yes that's me. As to why I'm here..." he trailed off. "Well, I... wander a little sometimes." A pensive look came across his face.

Sam, who had been quite during the encounter, suddenly shrieked and started racing across the sand towards Annabeth and Daniel, who had just appeared. Meg wasn't far behind.

Neither parent was expecting such a greeting, and were surprised by the reaction their appearance had caused. Percy steeled himself, and ambled up to them too.

Sam was blathering about his jellyfish and the scary lady while Meg was trying to question Annabeth about Hectate when they noticed the extra person.

"Percy?" Annabeth asked.

"Um, Hi?" Percy shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably. "Hi Daniel," He added.

Both Annabeth and Daniel looked a bit shell shocked. Finally, Annabeth broke the silence.

"Don't suppose you know anything about this?" she asked, gesturing to the two limpet-like children.

Percy scratched his arm. "There was an empousai out looking for a feed," he said. "I may have... discouraged her a little."

Annabeth went a little pale.

"Look. I've gotta go. Great seeing you all again, you all look good," Percy quickly threw out. "Megan, Sam, nice to meet you both. Sam, your sister's right about picking up jellyfish, as well."

Percy split and started towards the car park before Annabeth or Daniel could object. He knew it would be too awkward to stay and chat. It had been eerie enough talking with Meg. She looked so much like Annabeth, and there was a niggling little voice in the back of his head telling him that those kids could have been his if he'd made the right choice all those years ago. But they weren't.

But they were still Annabeth's children. Hence times like this. Not that they happened often, but more than one monster had met the fate of Percy's blade after following the Jones family.

By the time Annabeth started after Percy, wanting to thank him, Percy had already vanished.


	8. So You Think You're Lonely?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 30 years after the Battle of Manhattan

Percy raced through the hospital lobby, eyes peeled for the familiar head of curly dark hair that belonged to his sister.

He didn't know what was going on, exactly. And for some reason, he could get a read on anything. All he had to work with was Katie's panicked voicemail, telling him to get to the hospital.

"Percy?" He whirled around to find the source of the voice.

Katie was almost unrecognisable for a moment. Her hair, usually pulled back neatly, was dishevelled and dripping wet, and her were bright with unshed tears. And the look on her face... Percy's heart sank. No matter what this was, it wasn't going to be good.

"Percy..." she choked, struggling to get any words out as a fresh wave of tears leaked from her eyes. "Mom and Dad..." Percy held her close, not really wanting to hear the rest as Katie sobbed into his t-shirt. "They were coming back from Aunt Sarah's..." she managed between the sobs. "A drunk... ran the red light..." she sniffled. "Percy, their gone!" she wailed.

Percy felt his world tilting as his legs gave way, dragging Katie and himself to an awkward pile on the floor. He barely noticed the tears streaming down his face.

 _Nononono! NO!_ This wasn't real. Surely this wasn't real. Was Morpheus messing with him?

He felt pain flare in his ankle from the odd angle it was currently resting in.  _Not a dream._

Morpheus had no reason to mess with his head this badly anyway. Not that he knew of, at least.

He clung to Katie, one hand resting in her hair while the other cradled her slumped figure. He wasn't sure how long they remained there. Eventually though, the odd angle of Percy's leg demanded they pick themselves up off the floor.

"Have..." Percy's throat wanted to close over. "Have you... seen them?"

Katie shook her head. "I... I couldn't do it alone," her voice cracked. "The police said," she paused, swallowing hard. "They said that they probably died on impact. Head trauma." She looked at the floor. "I don't know if I can take it, Perce."

Percy slung an arm around her shoulders. "Neither do I. But I think we have to, Katie-Bear," he answered grimly.

The two of them headed reluctantly towards the reception desk.

* * *

Thankfully, the visible damage was minimal. The coroner was talking, but Percy wasn't listening.

They were too pale. Too still. Too cold.

His mother was never cold. Even the years with Gabe constantly wearing her down, she was always warm, bubbly, vivacious. Always a smile for him, one that made her eyes sparkle with life. He couldn't stand to see her like this; on a cold steel tray, eyes forever closed, the laugh lines gone from her face.

And Paul. Good, dependable Paul who helped give his mother her dreams back. He'd never be able to thank him properly for that.

Katie, he could see, was edging towards the door, shock and grief clear on her face as tears tracked down her cheeks.

It was time for them to leave.

* * *

He stayed with Katie at her apartment that night. He couldn't leave her by herself. Not after something like this. Anyone who wanted him to do something would just have to deal for now.

Somehow, Katie had managed the calls to the family, and to her boyfriend—who was currently on the west coast attending some conference, though he'd promised to book a flight back east immediately.

Percy sat at the window, long after Katie had drifted off to sleep on her couch. The bright lights of the never resting city glimmered beyond the cool glass, but he barely noticed.

Suddenly, he stood up and headed to the bathroom. Steaming up the small room with the shower, he offered a drachma with a silent plea to Iris.

A dark tousled head appeared, the person clearly unhappy with being woken from his sleep.

"It's 3am in the cursed morning, this had better be good," Nico growled, still half-asleep.

"Shut up, Nico," Percy wasn't in the mood to indulge his cousin's perpetually bad mood.

"Percy? What in the name of Tartarus, man?"

Percy ignored the query. "I need you to recall a couple of ghosts."

Surprise flashed across Nico's face. "Wha..."

"Just do it, Nico."

"Woah, woah, no. You know there's rules about that. It's not that simple and you know it." Nico was well and truly awake now. "You have to explain what's going on, man."

"My mother and Paul are gone," Percy said hollowly.

"Shit..." Nico mumbled. "I'm sorry, Percy."

"Can you recall their ghosts or not?"

"That's not a good idea, man," Nico replied.

"Don't remember that stopping you when Bianca was lost," was Percy's curt response.

Nico winced at the memory. "Yeah, because that worked so well, didn't it?" sarcasm coloured his voice.

"Nico..." Percy warned, lacing his tone with power.

"No. I'm sorry, Perce, but no," with that, Nico cut his end of the IM.

* * *

He was back at the window again as the sun came up over the city. He had moved Katie to the relative comfort of her own bed some hours earlier, though any semblence of rest still eluded him.

For so long, he'd been trying to ignore the impact of the passing years on his friends and family. He'd felt it was too  _Peter Pan_ , watching everyone age around him while he was as young as he chose to look. So he'd pushed to the back of his mind. Steadily ignoring the creeping signs of age on the faces once so familiar to him.

That wasn't going to work tonight.

How many more times was he going to go through this? Annabeth, Katie, Nico, Grover, all the other demigods he'd ever known,  _everyone_  he'd ever known. In some sense, he'd known he would have to say good bye to them, but it still hadn't seemed  _real_. This was a brutal slap in the face by reality.

Percy suddenly had a new appreciation of the distance that the Olympians and even the other minor gods kept from their demi-god children.

A muffled crash from the kitchen startled Percy out of his melancholy musings.

"Katie?"

Katie peered around the kitchen door, "I wasn't sure if you'd still be here," she said quietly.

"Hey," Percy replied with a frown. "I said I'd stay with you, didn't I?"

Katie looked at the floor. "Yeah, until something comes up and you disappear," she mumbled.

Percy looked at her sharply. "What is  _that_  supposed to mean?"

"You're never here! How many times had you spoken to mom and dad in the past year, huh?" Katie challenged. "Always running around doing your 'immortal' business. Too busy to keep track of us mere mortals, right?"

Percy bristled at the implications of her words. "Don't you dare say I didn't care about them," he growled. "Don't you  _dare_. I may not have been able to see them, or you, as often as any of us would like, but don't you dare say it was because I don't care."

Percy grabbed the coat he'd dropped over the back of the couch. "I feel I've outstayed my welcome here. Goodbye, Kathryn."

Katie was left staring at the space Percy had just occupied, tears already tracing down her cheeks once again.


	9. When the Music Fades

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 45 years after the Battle of Manhattan

By now, Percy had perfected the art of pushing information to the edge of his consciousness. Small otherwise unimportant details, but more often painful facts that he didn't want to acknowledge. Sometimes he could keep them on the periphery for long enough that the issue would blow over.

But he'd never forgive himself if never faced this.

So here he was. Back in his human form for the first time in over a decade .

Quietly, he slipped through the hospital, his nose wrinkling in distaste as he observed the shining sterile surfaces and the pervasive smell of bleach. It was well after visiting hours, but this wasn't a confrontation for observers to watch. No other family members, no old friends to run interference.

_Room 11 – Annabeth Jones_

Percy peaked though the window. She was dozing, and Percy gratefully took the opportunity to slip in unnoticed. The first thing that struck Percy upon entering was the colour that filled much of the room. Her family had obviously spared no effort in making the stark room more vibrant and lively for her. There was flowers, a bunch of cards, some containing familiar names, and someone had even hung a small tapestry on the wall. All the shelves were littered with photos. Percy's eyes, however, were quickly drawn to Annabeth's aging form.

Time had taken its toll on her. Her hair, once long and wavy was now cropped short, and heavily peppered with gray. There were more laugh lines on her face, and he could see the wrinkles in the middle of her forehead, most likely from that frustrated scowl of hers when a plan just wouldn't come together. But she was still beautiful. Even with the ravages that her disease had piled on her.

He smiled wanly, brushing a small piece of hair away from her face. "Hey there, Wise Girl," he said softly.

Slowly, Annabeth's eyes fluttered open, fixing Percy with a bewildered stare.

"Percy?" she questioned sleepily.

Percy nodded.

"I'm not dreaming, am I?"

Percy shook his head.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice starting to lose the raspy quality as she woke properly.

Percy took his time answering.

"I... I wanted to talk you again... well, before..." he trailed off uncertainly.

"Before I slip off this mortal coil?" Annabeth suggested. "What?" she asked as Percy raised an eyebrow. "I'm well aware of my prognosis, Seaweed Brain. I've accepted it. A warrior has to know which battles to fight and which to not, right?"

A pained look came across Percy's face.

"You've accepted it, but has everyone else?" he asked quietly.

Annabeth's gaze dropped.

"That's what I thought," Percy sighed as he sat in the chair next to Annabeth's bed. "I know I haven't. And I can't see your family accepting it so readily."

"We haven't spoken in years though," Annabeth countered before sighing. "No, they haven't accepted it. Not really. They say they know why I've stopped the treatment, but I can see it in their eyes that they wish I was still on it," Annabeth clasped her hands, struggling to control her tears.

Once she had a tighter grip on her emotions, Annabeth looked back up to Percy, "Enough about me for now, what was it you wanted to talk about?"

Percy shrugged, a wan smile on his face. "Everything?"

She rolled her eyes, "Very descriptive, Percy,"

He flashed a quick grin. "I try."

"How's Katie?" Annabeth asked. Percy paused before replying.

"She's doing well, as far as I can tell. Doing research in Canada somewhere. Two kids, the eldest of which is about to hit teen-dom," Percy paused again. "We never really talked a lot after the crash," he added quietly.

"What about your kids?" Percy wanted to change to subject away from him, and the fractured relationship with his sister that was entirely his fault.

"They're not kids so much anymore," Annabeth responded wryly. "Sam's a marine biologist, and Meg has a baby of her own now, Rory Williams," Annabeth smiled wistfully. "At least I got to see my first grandchild. I wish Daniel could have seen him," A tear ran down her cheek, thinking of her tiny grandson, and how proud her husband would have been.

"I'm sorry about Daniel," Percy said softly.

Annabeth shook her head. "It's been three years now, I've managed, although I still miss him. Besides," Annabeth added, "You didn't even really know him."

"No," Percy confessed. "But I  _do_  know that he adored you. He made you happy, and I always envied him for that," he admitted quietly.

Annabeth's piercing gray eyes scrutinised him closely.

"Why did you accept the offer that day?" she asked him.

Percy didn't need to ask which day she was referring to.

"Honestly, I'm no longer sure," he murmured. "I wanted to help make a change for the better, and that seemed like the best way then... and I thought things wouldn't work... between us..." Percy trailed off, red colouring his cheeks.

"Why would you think that?" Annabeth asked softly.

"I don't know anymore. But everything that happened with Luke..."

"I loved you, Percy," Annabeth stated. "But then you started on a road I couldn't follow. I had to let you go."

Percy looked back up at Annabeth, his green eyes meeting her gray ones. "I know. And I'm sorry."

At that moment, there was a peace between them, that had been absent for so long. Eventually, they broke eye contact and moved forward with the conversation, but that conversation now flowed with an ease that it hadn't since they were campers together on Long Island.

"How's Tyson these days then?" Annabeth asked.

Percy grinned, "He'd doing well. He's become a bit a task-setter these days mind. We catch up when we can."

Annabeth nodded, eyes thoughtful.

"Have you kept up with the old crowd much?" Percy inquired.

She sighed slowly. "Not much," she admitted. "I've seen Grover a couple of times, I've probably seen Rachel the most—she usually drops in every year at some point. Clarisse and Chris usually check in via Christmas letters, and, well, Nico never was good at keeping in touch with people... There's not that many of us left any more, Percy," she finished quietly.

"I guess not," he replied just as quietly.

They sat in companionable silence for a while, just enjoying each other's company.

Percy straightened when Annabeth winced suddenly, "Wise Girl?"

She made a vague waving motion with her hand. "Never mind me. Just the tumours reminding me they're there."

Percy watched with sad eyes as he saw his old friend struggle to control the pain, only gradually being able to control it with a dose of morphine as she clicked a small button.

"How bad is it?" he asked simply, waiting until she'd regained her composure.

Grey eyes flicked to his face before flicking back to the bedcovers. "By the time they found the primary tumour in the bowel, it had already spread to the liver," she explained, compulsively smoothing her bed sheets rather that looking at Percy directly. "They took that straight out, and put me on chemotherapy and some new trial drug for the metastasis in the liver. For a while, it looked like that'd work. The tumours in the liver went from inoperable to operable, and I was in remission for a year," Annabeth's face took on a wan smile. "Unfortunately, they missed some small ones. They showed up on the scans about a year later. And this time we knew there wouldn't be any surgical options. Not with some of these tumours so close to the main blood vessels," Annabeth sighed. "I went back on chemo for a while, but it made me feel so terrible, and in the end had very little effect anyway. So here I am. With only about 40% of my liver still working."

Percy winced, "I'm sorry, Annabeth," was all he could reply.

She shrugged, "Nothing you, or anyone else could do," she replied matter-of-factly. "I've gotten over the irrational anger by now."

"How?"

"I've had a good life, Percy. Yes, there's been some times that were less than stellar, but I've had good friends over the years," she gestured to Percy himself here. "I've had a great husband, great kids..." she smiled wistfully. "Some of those years when we were kids, when we weren't going to make it through? I look back at them and think how lucky I was to survive them." Her eyes were bright with tears as she finished, looking into Percy's green eyes.

Percy swallowed hard, and responded by wrapping her in a hug, though he was dismayed by the frailty of her frame.

Eventually, they released each other from the embrace.

"So," Annabeth wiped her eyes. "I guess this is it then, huh?"

Percy gave a watery smile in return. "I guess so," he choked out. He bent down again to give her one last hug.

"I'm sure you'll be in the Isles of the Blest, Annabeth, you deserve it," he whispered. "And I'll try and keep an eye on the rest of you're family for you."

Annabeth smiled wistfully as he started to back out the door.

"Thank you, Percy," she said.

"Goodbye, Annabeth," he said finally, his heart breaking as he realised this would be the last time he saw her.

_I love you._


	10. Epilogue – Out of Memory and Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 80 years after the Battle of Manhattan

It had been a long, long time since he'd set foot in this camp.

Stepping over the threshold of the camp—seeing a much grown Peleus still guarding the Golden Fleece—caused a stream of memories to flood his consciousness. Five summers didn't seem like much time compared to the rest of his life, but the time spent here had predominated many of his remaining mortal memories, which were fading faster than he cared to admit. Lord Perseus shook of the wave of nostalgia and made his way toward the Big House.

Walking down the hill, he admired the changes that shaped the camp over the past few generations of demigods. The cave of the Oracle—now occupied by a young girl Percy didn't know, though some of Rachel's more lasting pieces still lingered outside as he passed. The areas designated for cabins had expanded, obviously, now coming almost right up to the Big House now. There was even one built for his offspring, these days—something that weirded him out somewhat while his memories as a camper were in the forefront of his mind.

Not that there had been many occupants in it over the decades.

Sure, there'd been mortal girls he'd hooked up with, but for the first few decades off his Godhood, they all had one major flaw: they were not Annabeth Chase.

Usually, the 'dates', as they were, ended either one of two ways. First, he managed to call them 'Annabeth'. And no woman likes to hear the wrong name during intimate moments. Not even being a god could stop him from getting slapped, usually.

The other option was that while he managed to keep himself from blurting out the wrong thing, but found that he just couldn't follow through. For a moment, the woman's face would meld into Annabeth's features, and it would jolt him back to reality.

Eventually, he'd learnt enough self control to stay far away from women with wavy blonde hair and piercing grey eyes. Though ironically, after he'd made his piece with Annabeth, he actually felt better about the dating. Once he stopped comparing every woman to his teenage sweetheart, he realised just how amazing some of these women were. Naturally, a few children had come from these liaisons over the years: four daughters, and three sons. The elder ones were married, with families of their own now. Moira was a marine biologist, Charlie a navy officer, Jennifer a horse trainer, Meryl was a geologist, Cameron a teacher and Amy was still studying at college. Gods, he was proud of his grown children, despite the minimal contact. His youngest son, however, was the reason he was returning to Camp Half Blood today.

Chiron was waiting for him on the porch of the Big House.

"Lord Perseus," Chiron nodded to him as he approached.

Percy just grinned at the centaur. "Chiron, You know me well enough to call me Percy," he reminded his old teacher. His appearance may have looked like it belonged to someone in their early thirties, but being back here, in front of Chiron, still made him feel like a teenager.

Chiron smiled. "Percy, then. It's been a while."

Percy let out a long sigh, "Yeah... The camp looks great though," he commented.

"It's changed quite a bit since you were last, I'm sure," the Centaur conceded.

A comfortable silence fell between the two immortals as they moved into the house it's self. Percy had to admit, he was kind of glad Dionysus wasn't Director anymore. Becoming a minor god had not endeared him to the Olympian any more than his time at camp, in fact Percy was reasonably positive that it had only increased Mr D's dislike of him. But that said, he could still see the Olympian's influence in the Big House. Party masks littered the walls, including some rather garish leopard print ones. Strangely enough, there was a classic Pac-Man arcade game sitting in the corner of one room.

The two made themselves comfortable in the lounge, well, Percy made himself comfortable. Chiron remained standing in his normal form.

"So what's going on with Kyle that warrants calling me in?" Percy asked.

Chiron sighed. "What if I told you there was another prophecy made recently?" he replied with another question.

Percy just looked at his former teacher for a while. "Please tell me it's not one of the 'Oh gods, it's the end of the world' one," Percy's response was apprehensive at best.

"No, nothing as... interesting as your brush with prophecy, but there will be a quest involved."

Ah, so this was why he'd been asked to pay a visit. "And you prefer to clear campers for quests with their immortal parent," Percy sighed. "Right." It filled him with nerves thinking of Kyle on a quest, which was a feeling he'd managed to avoid with the others, as they'd been lucky enough—in his eyes at least—to avoid getting quests.

Chiron spread his hand in an apologetic manner. "Something like that, Perseus," he agreed.

Percy eyed the centaur at the use of his proper name. "Don't suppose you can tell me much about the quest?" he queried hopefully.

A stern look was his response.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Fates in motion and all that jazz," Percy interjected before Chiron could respond verbally. "Who else is involved in this upcoming quest?"

Chiron motioned for Percy to follow him back out into the daylight. "Most likely his friend Rowan, from Apollo's cabin," he answered Percy as they strolled towards the practice fields, both of them ignoring the looks form the campers. "Also, I suspect that Melody Williamson will join the two as well."

"Which cabin is she from?" Percy asked curiously.

"Athena's," was Chiron's reply.

"Oh," Percy said quietly.

"Kyle and Melody have... somewhat of a tumultuous friendship, but they work well together," Chiron continued, looking sideways at his companion as they reached the practice fields. "They remind me quite a bit of you and Annabeth and the way the two of you were always sniping at each other," he added quietly.

Percy leant over the wall of the sword play field, watching as two demigods in full armour sparred each other. "Well, then I pray he doesn't do anything stupid to lose her, like I did with Annabeth," he turned back towards Chiron with a wan smile on his face.

Chiron dipped his head in acknowledgement.

The two demigods had finished by now, the male admitting defeat by his female partner. Percy grinned as Kyle's face appeared from under the helmet. His opponent was also taking off her helmet, revealing short curly blonde hair.

"That's Melody he was sparring with?" he asked, looking at Chiron for confirmation.

Chiron nodded.

Percy turned back to watch as the two bickered, before stowing their equipment and heading back towards the cabins.

He could understand why Chiron saw similarities. He could see them too. It was a bittersweet realisation. But losing Annabeth was something he'd made peace with, although it had taken him many decades. It was now a fading ache, and his heart rejoiced at the idea of his son finding a partner so stubborn—all of Athena's children were—and loyal and infuriating.

He realised Chiron had left him to his own musings, and once Kyle and Melody were out of sight, Percy made his own exit.

_Take care of her, son. Don't mess with something that special. I don't want you to know the pain of watching someone you love slip away from you because of your actions._

_Be better than me._


End file.
